When e-filing federal return, I keep getting "The e-File database indicates that Form 8962 or a binary attachment with description containing "ACA Explanation" must be present in the return"

If you have e-filed your return and gotten an IRS rejection code for Form 8962, it could be because there is a partial entry in your return or because they have information from Healthcare.gov about Marketplace insurance and are looking for a 1095-A on your return to match their records. This might be because you or someone on your return began an application for insurance but did not actually enroll, or for some reason, Healthcare.gov erroneously has something connected to a social security number on your return. Forms 1095-B and 1095-C do not need to be filed and should be kept with your tax records. Please do not enter their information into TurboTax.

When our interview section Affordable Care Act (Form 1095-A) for the Marketplace insurance reaches the screen, Did you receive Form 1095-A for your health insurance plan? It will default to "Yes." If you select "No" and Continue, it will not generate any Form 8962 information into your return. If you come back, it will default to "Yes" again, but it remained the "No" you selected until you came back into the area. This is as it should be.

In TurboTax Online, to ensure there is not a partially completed form in TurboTax, please check here to delete the form from your return. This will delete both the form and the entries. Please check for any Form 1095-A and also Form 8962.

1. To Delete a Form go black menu bar on the left
2. Click on Tax Tools
3. Click on Tools
4. Under Other helpful links, click on Delete a Form
5. Scroll down and check for 1095-A or 8962 and if there is one, click on Delete
6. Click on the blue Delete Selected Form
7. At the bottom, Continue
8. Repeat until any Form 1095-A or From 8962 are deleted
9. At the bottom, Continue with my Return

If you have already checked online at Healthcare.gov for Form 1095-A information and do not find what you need, you may wish to call them and see if there is any reason they would have told the IRS to expect a Form 1095-A. You may reach them at:

1-800-318-2596

(TTY: 1-855-889-4325)

Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (except holidays)

Once you have resolved the Healthcare.gov information, the IRS should accept your e-file. In the past, they would accept the e-file but then route the returns with Marketplace questions for special processing that caused significant delays. This way the issue can be addressed, and your e-file should not be further delayed after it is accepted.

If you have checked the interview, deleted any partial forms, and checked with the Marketplace to ensure they do not have any applications associated with anyone on your return, yet are still receiving the rejection code, we would like to take a deeper look at this. It would help to have a diagnostic file, which is a sanitized copy of your tax return that has all of your personal information removed but has all of the forms and numbers entered. You can send one to us by following the directions below and posting the token number here so we can access the sanitized return.

 TurboTax Online:

1. Sign in to your online account
2. Click on Tax Tools on the left toolbar
3. Select Tools
4. In the pop-up screen, click on "Share my file with agent"
5. Click OK on the message that a diagnostic file will be sanitized and transmitted to us
6. Please post the Token Number

TurboTax Desktop/Download Versions:

1. Open your return
2. Click the Online tab in the top menu bar
3. Select "Send Tax File to Agent"
4. Click Send on the message, and the tax file will be sanitized and transmitted to us
5. Please post the Token Number